Kombucha Tea – How to & Why it’s so Amazing

If you aren’t living under a rock I’m sure you’ve heard about Kombucha. It is all the rage in the health and wellness industry as people are unlocking a host of beneficial properties from this traditionally brewed beverage. Although it has been made for over 100 years in homes across Asia and Eastern Europe it’s rise in popularity can be attributed to the growth of holistic minded folks and the business savvy of a few wanting to tap into the tasty and profitable world of bottled Kombucha. It can be a mighty pricey habit and many of us have fallen prey to the lures of an occasional GT Gingerade among other tasty flavours and brands. But luckily for us it is surprisingly easy to make your own Kombucha at home and keep yourself in bottles of the fizzy stuff for years to come.

Health Benefits

Kombucha is a digestive powerhouse. Because it is a naturally fermented product with a living colony of bacteria and yeast, Kombucha is full of probiotics. Probiotics are integral to healthy digestion, and to keeping things “flowing smoothly” and are also important for counteracting candida (harmful yeast) overgrowth.

Kombucha is heavily detoxifying. It is full of enzymes which your body naturally produces to break down waste, therefore easing strain on the liver.

Kombucha is immune supportive. It is amazingly high in antioxidants which protect our cells from free-radical damage.

Strain tea through seive into the glass jar in which you will be fermenting.

FERMENTATION

Add the mother and the kombucha from a previous batch.

Cover with a clean cloth and secure with an elastic band. Two layers of paper towel will work. You want to make sure carbon dioxide can escape but no bugs or debris can get in.

Leave in a room temperature place where it won’t be disturbed or jostled.

Taste your Kombucha after 3-4 days. The warmer your home the quicker the fermentation.

BOTTLING

Once it has reached a desired tartness (usually 7-8 days) remove the scoby and one cup of the kombucha and put in a wide mouth mason jar. Seal and place in the fridge (it should be good for up to 2 months but the more you brew the happier it is).

Ladle the remaining kombucha into your bottles and seal. Make sure to wipe down any spillage on the outside of the bottles.

At this point you can add liquid flavouring like freshly juiced ginger or citrus. You’ll want to make sure any fruit or herbs are strained out before bottling.

I like to leave it on the counter for 2-3 days bottled at this point to build up some CO2 and get nice and fizzy. This process is called “proofing”.

Different batches will get fizzy at different rates so be very careful leaving it too long, and be careful when opening. Every Kombucha maker I know has had a bottle pop its top on them.

Once you are happy with the fizzy factor put all bottles in the fridge and it won’t continue to build CO2.

Experiment with flavours, herbs, fruit, tartness, bottling times and proofing to find your ideal Kombucha and enjoy all of its fizzy, delicious health benefits in return.